Mellville In Downtown Pittsfield

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. On June 6 at 11 am join author and historian John Dickson for a walk around downtown and check out the places around Park Square that Melville frequented and used in his writing. 
 
This approximately ninety-minute walk begins at the Berkshire Athenaeum, Wendell Avenue. 
 
Tickets are $15 for BCHS members, $20 for non-members and can be purchased by using the BOOK NOW button at berkshirehistory.org. This event is sponsored by Massachusetts Cultural Council and Housatonic Heritage.
 
John Dickson serves as Chair of the Pittsfield Historical Commission and is a board member of the Berkshire County Historical Society.  
 
His most recent book, "Herman Melville in the Berkshires," reveals the connections between Melville’s writing and the beauty of the Berkshire landscape that inspired him.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Springfield Man Arraigned for 'Senseless' Murder in Pittsfield

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— District Attorney Timothy Shugrue said Friday's fatal stabbing was a senseless act of violence. 

On Monday, Springfield man Zyrus Jaynes, 24, was arraigned for murder in Central Berkshire District Court for allegedly stabbing 36-year-old Pittsfield man Jesse Gray to death after a disagreement on Hall Place. 

Families of the victim and defendant were present at the arraignment.  Jaynes is being held without the right to bail because he is being presented to a grand jury, and will be back in court on July 1. 

"This was seconds. That fast, that quick. Just over someone pulling into a driveway with a car," Shugrue said. 

"…This is an incredible tragedy, over this? For what? It's just very, very sad." 

According to the Pittsfield Police Department's reports, just before 10 p.m. on May 29, officers were dispatched to the area of 10 Hall Place for a reported stabbing.  Upon arrival, they found Gray with a stab wound to the left side near his armpit and began rendering aid until fire and EMS arrived. 

Gray was transported to Berkshire Medical Center and passed away less than an hour after. 

"I think he was shocked that he was stabbed," Shugrue said. 

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